Trombone Shorty at Harvest the Music

I've avoided blogging about the phenomenal concert last Wednesday night at Harvest the Music at Lafayette Square because I didn't know what to say. I've written about Shorty before -- it's already obvious that I have a giant-sized jones for Shorty, that I'm crushing on him in a big way, unseemly in a woman nearly 60 years old.

But hey, it's not just me. Big Man and arrived a full 45 minutes early, and still there was a big crowd already there ahead of us. The young man has serious fans in NOLA; we're all about as proud of him as if we'd all given birth to him (and I guess in a metaphorical way, we did). There were people of all ages, literally -- a young mom went past our chairs with a very new baby in a chest carrier, the baby's ears protected from loud music by bright pink headphones, and in front of us was a grandma and grandpa, shaking their booties to Shorty's music. By the time the concert actually started, the crowd had doubled in size, and when Shorty took the stage, maybe half again. It was PACKED, and every single one of us, despite outward differences of age, race, education, and career options, were grooving hard and screaming our lungs out. (I had a slight sore throat after the concert, and my heart was beating so fast I felt dizzy.)

The level of musicianship was phenomenal. At one point, I turned to Big Man and asked, "Could you play that?" and he said, "Sure! It wouldn't sound as good, but I could play it." Trumpet or trombone, young Troy played like the consummate pro he is, with brilliance and verve. His vocals are more than serviceable and he knows how to put a song across to the audience. (SUCH as contrast to the shy diffident teenaged boy we spoke to at the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival in Wilmington, Delaware, all those years ago!) He has tremendous stage presence. His original songs are catchy an sexy and soulful. And his horn playing almost literally blows you away.

Why Troy Andrews is not a huge national star by now, I just don't know. But he is surely on the verge of major stardom -- it's just a matter of time.

If you have not heard Trombone Shorty, you need to. Go get his new CD, "For True" (as he said Wednesday night, "It's like we say in New Orleans, f'true"). And if you are lucky enough to have a chance to see him in person, by all means, GO!